Wash. Times' Obama Derangement Syndrome Extends To Bin Laden Death

The Washington Times has published numerous absurd attacks on President Obama as it struggles to find ways to criticize him in the wake of Osama bin Laden's death. The Times has long been a forum for the most outrageous, baseless, and false attacks against Obama.

Washington Times Launches Absurd Attacks On Obama Following Bin Laden's Death

Washington Times' Miller Complains "Obama Golfs While Troops Hunt Osama Bin Laden." In a May 2 Washington Times column, senior editor Emily Miller complained that "[w]hile the president was playing golf, the highly-trained U.S. special forces were en route to bin Laden's fortified compound." From The Washington Times:

Capturing Sept. 11 terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden has been the nation's top national-security priority for 10 years, but carrying out the final kill didn't stop President Obama from playing golf on Sunday. In a tiny concession to his job requirements as commander in chief, Mr. Obama cut his golf game short by nine holes in order to get back to the White House to monitor the final moments as Navy SEALs killed bin Laden in Pakistan.

[...]

While the president was playing golf, the highly-trained U.S. special forces were en route to bin Laden's fortified compound. "The high walls, security features, suburban location and proximity to Islamabad made this an especially dangerous operation," said a senior administration official after the killing. "The men who executed this mission accepted this risk, practiced to minimize those risks and understood the importance of the target to the national security of the United States."

[...]

Talking points aside, the suddenly religious president started his Sunday morning as he usually does: skipping church to go hit the golf links. [The Washington Times, 5/2/11]

While it's glorious that we finally delivered justice to Bin Laden, cowboy-style, it has been a little odd to see how eager President Obama is to take credit for it. Apart from the method of the military operation -- who knew he had it in him?-- his speech announcing the demise of the world's greatest villain was short on key details and sounded more like an extended pat on the back.

Green further used a photograph from rapper Jay-Z's March 2010 visit to the White House to claim that "Mr. Obama has had to grow into his role as the head of state and occupant of the nation's most revered residence." [The Washington Times, 5/2/11]

Washington Times Complains Obama "Snub[bed] Bush," Showed "No Class" In Speech. In a May 2 editorial, The Washington Times complained that Obama "snub[bed] Bush" and "praise[d] himself" in his announcement that bin Laden had been killed. The editorial baselessly claimed "[b]in Laden assassination wasn't the result of Barack's strategic genius." The editorial continued:

Sunday's only mention of Mr. Bush came when Mr. Obama defended himself by quipping that even his predecessor insisted America isn't at war with Islam. Left unsaid was how Mr. Bush setting the groundwork for the conduct of the war on terrorism provided Mr. Obama with the tools to get this job done. The national unity, sense of purpose and offensive posture were largely the result of Mr. Bush's decisive action and strong leadership following national tragedy. Had Mr. Obama been in Mr. Bush's position on Sept. 11, 2001, bin Laden would still be alive today, and probably winning. [The Washington Times, 5/2/11]

President Obama took to the airwaves shortly before midnight to confirm the good news and take credit for it. The wording of his short statement made it clear that the campaign season for his 2012 reelection bid is fully underway. He used the words "I," "me" and "my" so many times it was hard to count for such a quick message. Not only is this consistent with his view that everything is about him, it also reflected the reality that this president is weak and perceived by the world to be a lackluster leader who has undermined American power. He needs to grab any opportunity he can to make himself believable as a commander in chief. Crowds flocked to White House gates to celebrate bin Laden's demise, giving this unpopular president a rare glimpse of public support that won't last long.

Mr. Obama called his predecessor, former President George W. Bush, to tell him the news. This was only fitting as it was Mr. Bush's policies that took the fight to the enemy and didn't back down despite opposition from timid politicians such as then-Sen. Barack Obama. Bin Laden's death is more Mr. Bush's victory than Mr. Obama's because American forces wouldn't even be fighting in South Asia had Democratic doves had their way. [The Washington Times, 5/2/11]

Wash. Times Has Long Been A Home For Outlandish Attacks On Obama

Washington Times Complains Obama Did Not Issue "Official Statements For Easter Or Good Friday." In an April 25 editorial headlined, "Obama To Christians: Forget You," The Washington Times complained that the White House did not issue "official statements for either Easter or Good Friday" and wrote that "[t]his basket of Easter problems underscores Mr. Obama's continuing problem with perceptions of his religious identity." As Media Matters has noted, presidential proclamations have not historically marked religious holidays. [The Washington Times, 4/25/11; Media Matters, 4/26/11]

Kuhner: Obama's Easter Worship Shows His "Black Nationalism." An April 26 Washington Times op-ed by columnist Jeffrey Kuhner claimed that Obama's attendance at Washington D.C.'s Shiloh Baptist Church on Easter Sunday contributes to "[a] disturbing pattern" that makes it "clear by his actions and affiliations that Mr. Obama has black nationalist sympathies." [The Washington Times, 4/26/11]

Gaffney: "The Gadhafi Precedent: Could Attack On Libya Set The Stage For Action Against Israel?" In a column titled, "The Gadhafi Precedent," Frank Gaffney commented on the decision of the United States to participate in a U.N.-sanctioned, multilateral effort to establish a no-fly zone over Libya. Gaffney wrote that the "Gadhafi Precedent" could be "used in the not-too-distant future to justify and threaten the use of U.S. military forces against an American ally: Israel." [The Washington Times, 3/21/11]

Washington Times: Obama Policies "Bringing America To The Brink Of Third World Inferiority." In an April 15 editorial, The Washington Times wrote that Obama's "policies have secured America's status as part of the declining world." The Times further wrote: "[T]he president's answer to economic crisis is to heap on more debt. It's this crippling tax-and-spend Obama creed that's bringing America to the brink of Third World inferiority." [The Washington Times, 4/15/11]

Decker: Trump Gaining Support By Criticizing Obama "For His Mysteriously Missing Birth Certificate." In an April 15 column, Decker wrote that Donald Trump has "gotten immense support for criticizing President Obama for his mysteriously missing birth certificate, an issue most Americans are talking about but which is considered taboo by the liberal establishment." [The Washington Times, 4/15/11]

Kuhner Calls For Obama's Impeachment Over Libya Policy. In a March 24 column, Kuhner called for Obama's impeachment over his handling of Libya, writing that "[t]he Libyan war is part of a pattern of Mr. Obama's unethical and criminal behavior" and that "[i]f Republicans and conservatives are serious about restoring constitutional government, they will demand that Mr. Obama be impeached." Kuhner further wrote that Obama is a "socialist thug" who "has betrayed his country, his constitutional oath of office and his duty as commander in chief." [The Washington Times, 3/24/11]

Washington Times Calls Obama A "Bigot" And Restrictions On Handgun Magazines "Pointless." In a March 1 editorial, The Washington Times stated that "restrictions on things like the size of handgun magazines" are "pointless." The Times also wrote that President Obama is "a bigoted man who derisively describes small-town America as a place where people 'cling to guns.'" [The Washington Times, 3/1/11]

Washington Times Declares DOMA Decision Part Of Obama's "Strategy To Force The Radical Homosexual Agenda On America." In a February 23 editorial, The Washington Times wrote that the Department of Justice's decision to no longer defend portions of the Defense of Marriage Act "is the next step of President Obama's strategy to force the radical homosexual agenda on America against the will of the people and Congress." [Media Matters, 2/24/11]

Nugent: "It's Hard To Argue" That Obama Isn't "Out To Destroy America." In a February 8 column, Ted Nugent wrote that "there are some Americans who think Mr. Obama is out to destroy America or at to least [sic] reduce the country to the equivalent of a Third World country." He then added, "Sadly, it's hard to argue with the flow of evidence." [The Washington Times, 2/8/11]

Kuhner: Obama Is A "Machiavellian Socialist" And A "Radical Leftist Who Seeks To Dismantle Capitalism." In his January 27 column, Kuhner wrote that Obama is a "Machiavellian socialist" and a "radical leftist who seeks to dismantle capitalism and the achievements of the Reagan revolution." [The Washington Times, 1/27/11]

Kuhner: Obama's Tucson Memorial Address "Was A Surreal Spectacle In Narcissistic Self-Congratulation" That "Dishonored The Victims." In a January 13 column titled, "Obama's Tucson degradation," Kuhner wrote that Obama was "cynically exploiting the tragic shooting in Tucson for political gain" and that his memorial address "was a surreal spectacle in narcissistic self-congratulation" that "dishonored the victims" of the shootings. Kuhner further wrote that the shooting victims were "doubly degraded by a narcissistic president who used their suffering as political fodder." [The Washington Times, 1/13/11]

Kuhner: Obama's "Messiah Complex Threatens To Tear America Apart." In a December 9, 2010, column, Kuhner wrote: "Liberals are finally discovering what most Americans already know: Mr. Obama cannot be trusted. He is a narcissist who believes that everyone and everything - including his own country - must be subordinated to serve his needs. His messiah complex threatens to tear America apart." Kuhner further wrote that Obama "is not a capable political leader" and is "unfit to be president." [The Washington Times, 12/9/10]

Kuhner: Obama Is A "Cultural Muslim Who Is Promoting An Anti-American" Agenda. In an August 20, 2010, column, Kuhner wrote that Obama is "a cultural Muslim who is promoting an anti-American, pro-Islamic agenda." Kuhner also stated that Obama is "openly anti-Israel" and that Obama's comments about a proposed Islamic center "unmasked him as a president who favors Muslim interests over those of the American people."

Kuhner Claims Obama's "Bow[s]" "Reveal A Reflexive Anti-Americanism." In an August 16, 2010, column, Kuhner claimed that "President Obama has disgraced the United States -- again" by allegedly "bow[ing] when greeting Chinese President Hu Jintao." Kuhner wrote:

By bowing, Mr. Obama degraded and cheapened the office of the presidency; as commander in chief, he represents every American when meeting with other heads of state. He is supposed to embody the dignity of the Oval Office, reflecting our collective heritage as a self-governing, constitutional republic.

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His actions reflect a fundamental, reflexive anti-Americanism - a profound contempt and hatred for his own country. Mr. Obama bows because it symbolizes America's need to "humble" itself on the world stage. [Media Matters, 4/16/10]

Pruden: Obama "Apologiz[ed] To The Islamic World" Perhaps Because "Al Qaeda Just Couldn't Resist The Temptation" To "Take ... Down" The World Trade Center. From Pruden's July 10, 2009, Washington Times column, "Ministry of Apology would cure all ills":

Apologies, as every wayward husband knows, are plentiful and cheap (and rarely effective). President Obama's major accomplishment so far is a speech apologizing to the Islamic world for nobody is quite sure what. Maybe it was for building the Twin Towers so tall that Al Qaeda just couldn't resist the temptation to take them down. Maybe it was an apology for saving Sunni Muslims in Bosnia, which offended Shi'ites. Or maybe it was for saving the Shi'ites, which irritated Sunnis. Maybe it was just for being an American in the first place; shame is the default position on the leftmost fringe of his party. [Media Matters, 7/13/09, emphasis added]

Gaffney: "[I]t Increasingly Appears" Obama "Will Be Embracing The Agenda Of The Muslim Brotherhood." From Gaffney's March 17, 2009, Washington Times column:

President Obama on Friday reiterated for the umpteenth time his determination to develop a "new relationship" with the Muslim world. On this occasion, the audience were the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Unfortunately, it increasingly appears that, in so doing, he will be embracing the agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood - an organization dedicated to promoting the theo-political-legal program authoritative Islam calls Shariah and that has the self-described mission of "destroying Western civilization from within."

As part of Mr. Obama's "Respect Islam" campaign, he will travel to Turkey in early April. While there, he will not only pay tribute to an Islamist government that has systematically wrested every institution from the secular tradition of Kemal Ataturk and put the country squarely on the path to Islamification. He will also participate in something called the "Alliance of Civilizations." [Media Matters, 3/17/09]

Washington Times Claimed Health IT Provision "In The Spirit Of" Germany's Aktion T-4 Program. In a February 11, 2009, editorial, The Washington Times compared a provision in the stimulus package that provided for electronic medical records to the "Nazi version of efficiency" in which "elderly people with incurable diseases, young children who were critically disabled, and others who were deemed non-productive, were euthanized." The Times asserted that a quote it attributed to "a program instituted in Hitler's Germany called Aktion T-4" is "fully in the spirit of the partisans of efficiency." The quote as theTimes provided it read: "It must be made clear to anyone suffering from an incurable disease that the useless dissipation of costly medications drawn from the public store cannot be justified." The paper's website also published the editorial alongside a photograph of Hitler. [The Washington Times, 2/11/09]